breakfast

Baked Apple Steel Cut Oats

Oatmeal! Definitely one of my regular picks for breakfast during the week. On a week day, I usually just cook some old fashioned rolled oats (not the instant kind) in microwave and top it off with some fruit. It makes a warm, satisfying breakfast in just a few minutes. However, some times it just doesn’t compare to the rich, nutty flavor and texture of steel cut oats. The only thing is that steel cut oats take much longer to prepare. Therefore, when I do prepare steel cut oats, I usually make a few servings at once and store it in the fridge for later.

Stove top steel cut oats are great, but when baked with fruit, it’s also super hearty and delicious. I received a 4-piece set of Lock&Lock Boroseal borosilicate glass containers from Lock&Lock the other day for me to review. Each container is made with quality heat-resistant glass that “can withstand sudden change in temperature, thus it could be used not only in a refrigerator, a microwave and a dishwasher but also in a 750°F conventional oven.” Cool. So I decided to put them to use to make some Baked Apple Steel Cut Oats. I have some really juicy apples on hand. Plus, I can use these new containers as bake ware!In preparing steel cut oats, I like to soak them overnight. This process can help speed up the cooking time for the oats and also make them them easier to digest too. I used the larger round container for soaking the oats overnight and the other smaller containers for baking.

Ingredients (Makes 2-3 servings)

1/2 cup steel cut oats + 2 cup hot water, soaked overnight

About 2 cups of apple, diced (I used 2 small apples)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

brown sugar, to taste (optional)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup soy milk

Directions (the night before)

Combine 2 cups of boiling water with 1/2 cup of steel cut oats. Cover and let it sit on your countertop overnight.

In the morning, you’ll notice that the steel cut oats have absorbed a lot of the water and expanded too.

Directions (in the morning)

In a mixing bowl, toss diced apples with the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla. Add sugar if desired.

Scoop the apples into the bottom of the baking dish. Put aside about 1/3 of the diced apples to add later.

Pour soaked oatmeal over the apples.

Add the rest of the apples over the oatmeal.

Pour soy milk on top.

Bake at 375 F for about 20-25 minutes.

Remove from oven.

Serve with additional toppings if desired.

I popped the oatmeal into the oven and in about the time it took me to get ready, the baked oatmeal was complete and waiting to be consumed. Top with a bit of agave nectar. Yum.. so cozy and delicious, and the texture is just perfect!

Conveniently, the glass containers come with air-tight locking lids, so I can just store the rest of the oatmeal in the fridge and reheat it in the microwave later. When reheating the oatmeal, I like to add some soy milk before putting it into the microwave.

Baked steel cut oats are so easy to make. You don’t have to sit there and watch it or stir, just set a timer on the oven and get an alert when it’s ready. This recipe pretty much works with any other kind of fruit and you can pick your choice of spices or toppings and adjust the sweetness to your liking. Mixed berries with nuts makes another great baked fruit oatmeal. Peanut butter and banana is delicious too!

Disclaimer: Products were provided to me to review by Lock&Lock as part of the Lock&Lock Supporters Program. No other compensation was received for this post. The post was written by LookyTasty and all opinions expressed are solely mine.